Anslem, Rubian Capital
2030General Barron sat in his study, staring into space as he was plagued by disturbing thoughts. Barron was starting to regret sending his only daughter to Silvera just so she could become queen. Barron knew his daughter was very beautiful and he loved her dearly. Hazel's beauty was beyond the beauty of the Rubians and if she didn't have brown eyes and hair, he would've believed that she was either a silver blood or a blue blood. He snorted to himself, he was being totally ridiculous. She was his daughter and as far as he could tell, he was a red- blood.
He hated the Silverans and he had only sent her there so that she could help him infiltrate the kingdom and pull it down. The problem was that Hazel probably hated him and he felt like a failure for quickly giving in to the demands of the Silverans that had visited the previous night.He sighed deeply, hoping that his daughter was doing alright. She wasn't the fragile type and she definitely had an attitude. She was also stubborn sometimes but she was very much capable of taking care of herself.
Suddenly, the small device in his ear that looked like a small earpiece beeped and he stiffened."General Spiers, we have a message from the Silveran royals" his bestfriend, Lit. General Wade's voice boomed through the earpiece.
"What is it?" He asked hesitantly."Your daughter, Hazel has been chosen by the crown prince as his bride to be. There will be a celebration feast at Jotham in three days and you have been invited"The intercom beeped one more time and went silent.Barron smirked as he leaned back in his seat.So far, everything was going fine. All he needed to do was fill Hazel in with his plan.
The knock on the door of his study alerted him."Come in!" He called and the door swung open. His three sons stormed in with rage clearly visible on their faces."What is the meaning of this, father? How could you send Hazel to Silvera to get married to that bastard!" Shade, the most outspoken of the triplets exclaimed and Barron sighed."I did what I had to do"
"Really? Is that all you have to say?!" Trey, the tallest of the triplet spat, his eyes burning with fury."Look, what's done is done and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it" Barron said, his statement only angering his sons even more. "This is just part of the plan" he said and they frowned."What plan?" Carl, who was the only one that was usually quiet and reserved said, his brows furrowed.
Barron gave him a knowing smile and gestured to the chairs in front of his desk."Sit down, boys" He said and their frowns deepened. They didn't like the sinister look on their father's face and they could only guess that whatever it was couldn't be something good.***
Jotham, Silveran Capital
The crown prince had asked her to wait for him in this room. According to him, he wanted to get to know his future wife. Hazel didn't even get the chance to refuse his proposal, the prince was clearly used to getting everything he wanted. The fact that she found him attractive wasn't helping matters. After declaring to his parents that he'd found the woman he wanted to make his queen, he'd then slipped on an ornate silver ring onto Hazel's finger. Hazel was worried. She knew she was dealing with dangerous people who could torture her by using their raw magic. Hazel couldn't help but wonder. What exactly had he seen in her? He was a royal, a Silveran royal at that. Whereas, she was a mere red-blood. She wasn't even a royal.
She lifted her head at the sound of the faint pitter patter of footsteps heading towards the room. The crown prince stepped in, his hair in a ponytail. He gave her a smile and took a seat directly opposite her. Shortly, a maid walked in and poured them a glass of white wine each. Hazel felt the prince watching her intently and her cheeks flared pink, her stomach tightening with nerves.
"Don't be shy, love. I don't bite, not if you want me to" he said and she gritted her teeth; gods above, he was starting to get on her nerves."Tell me about yourself" the prince said and she looked up to meet his endearing gaze. "There's nothing interesting about me, your majesty. My name is Hazel Spiers and I'm a red-blood. That's all you need to know" Hazel said and he grinned."How old are you, beautiful Hazel?"
She bit her lower lip, unconsciously fisting her dress. "Twenty one" she muttered and his grin widened."Do you have any questions?" He asked and she sighed."I practically know nothing about you""All you had to do is ask, love" he stated and she looked away. She hated his incessant flirting."My name is Caden Capellan and I'm a full blooded Silveran, although I have a tiny bit of blue blood. I'm twenty four years old and I'm the future king of Silvera. I so happen to meet a particular adorable bundle of beauty who won't talk to me because she's too shy" he said and she rolled her eyes."You're an asshole" she said, her eyes widening a second later. She hadn't meant to say it out loud.
She mentally kicked herself for insulting the prince and she was worried that she was going to get punished for that. But she was stunned when he suddenly burst into laughter. "That's much better. I love your attitude better than your shyness" he said and Hazel blushed, a fiery shade of red."Look, I know I haven't been cooperating that much. But, I need some time to process all of this. It's a lot to take in and I need to take a breather" she ranted and Prince Caden nodded slowly, his eyes unreadable.
"Take all the time you need, Hazel. I understand" he said and rose to his feet.He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "A maid will be here shortly to take you to your chambers. Also, you must stay away from the East wing of the palace and I mean it" he said and sauntered out of the room, his steps elegant and confident.****
Hazel groaned inwardly as she paced back and forth in her new room. She'd been stuck in the palace for three days now and she was bored. Today, there was going to be a feast to celebrate her engagement with the prince. Caden had given her the space she'd asked for but she was tired of doing nothing but sulk in her room all day. She was miserable. In a few minutes, the feast would begin and she was very nervous."My lady?" She looked up to see Zena, her personal maid.
"I think you should relax or you'll ruin your dress, my lady" Zena said, bowing her head politely.Hazel groaned in exasperation and sat down on one of the armchairs in her room."I'm bored" she whined and the maid smiled."Prince Caden gave me the permission to help you explore the palace tomorrow. But for now, you have to relax"Hazel sighed and closed her eyes. "I've been feeling so awkward. Royalty just doesn't suit me" she groaned and Zena gave her a small smile. "I believe you'll get used to it, my lady"
I don't want to get used to this, Hazel thought with a frown on her face.Soon, she was heading towards the main court with a couple of guards as well as her personal maid.Caden looked as handsome as ever in a white tuxedo. He kissed her knuckles and smiled at her, his eyes twinkling. She curtseyed in front of the queen and the king before standing side by side with her soon to be husband.There was a whole lot of people in the main court, drinking and eating to their heart's content.
When it was time for the prince to give a speech, Hazel's stomach churned with nerves."Good people of Silvera, I greet you all!" the prince began and the people cheered. Hazel noticed a figure lurking in the shadows. It was a male, she could tell that much. But, he seemed to be hiding from probing eyes.Hazel couldn't stop looking at the figure hiding among the shadows. She was so distracted that she missed the rest of her fiance's speech. She only snapped out of her daze when Caden wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to himself."Isn't she beautiful?" the prince said and she blushed when the people cheered."Dance with me" he said and she exhaled slowly before nodding her head. Since she was the daughter of one of the wealthiest general of Rubia, she was very much used to the whole 'dance with me' stuff. If there was one thing she was good at, it was dancing. As she was pulled to the dance floor, she caught a glimpse of the figure in the shadows. A low gasp left her lips when she noticed the violet eyes staring at her in the dark."Are you okay?" Prince Caden asked and she swallowed hard."I-I'm fine" she stuttered, and turned to look at the figure in the dark one more time. But this time, she didn't see anyone there.He was gone.Jotham, Silveran Capital2030 Questions surfaced in Hazel's mind. Who was the figure in the dark? Why did he have violet eyes? As far as she knew, only black bloods possessed such color of eyes. The black bloods lived in isolation from other kingdoms. They were known as the Galacticans, since the name of their kingdom was Galactica. The black bloods were demonic in nature and they had hair and eyes ranging from red to black. In other cases, some black bloods possessed violet eyes. Black bloods were believed to have nine lives and the ability to shape shift into big or small cats. Other kingdoms despised them but really it was their fear of black bloods that drove themto hate the black bloods.Hazel couldn't help but wonder why there was a black blood in Silvera especi
"Who are you?" Hazel asked, watching him carefully. He smiled and her eyes widened. If Caden was gorgeous, this black blood was drop dead gorgeous. He slipped his right hand into the pocket of his pants."I would've said curiosity killed the cat. Who am I kidding? You're no cat. But, you really are nosy, aren't you?" He said, turning away from her. She watched him as he plucked one of the multicolored flowers that looked really attractive. He walked towards her and lowered her shawl from her head. Hazel's heart began to thud madly when his lavender scent drifted into her nostrils. He gazed at her for a moment, his eyes swimming with amusement. He slowly positioned the flower on her hair."There, that's much better" he said but Hazel couldn't stop staring at him. She noticed the length of his dark lashes, wondering why on earth a man would have such lovely lashes.His skin was so pale and it had such a
Jotham, Silveran capital2030*** For a moment, Hazel was frozen to the spot, too shocked to move. She hadn't expected the queen to notice her presence. But again, the queen was no ordinary person. Hazel's wide eyed gaze met Yuka's and he sighed, wiping off the blood from his lips."There's no one there. I'll take my leave now" he said and the queen narrowed her eyes. "I was so sure I sensed-""You must've sensed the maids and the guards" Yuka interrupted her, his eyes discreetly telling Hazel to leave. She snapped out of her daze and walked away, feeling troubled. Why was Yuka being treated like an animal? Why did they despise him so much? Hazel did not have the answers to these questions and this worried her to no end. So, when the royal family joined her at the table, she felt utterly ill at
Yuka stared at Hazel as she embraced him. She seemed to be completely oblivious to the fact that he was shirtless. But then, he felt her crying, her tears dampening his skin. It bothered him a lot. He knew that she was probably going through so much and was barely adjusting to life as the future queen of Silvera. He felt sorry for her. "Yuka?" She whispered, her head still resting on his chest. "I really don't want to make you uncomfortable, but you're so warm and you smell so good" she said and raised her head from his chest to look at him."You know that, right?" She asked with a smile on her face, despite the tears in her eyes. "Of course, I know. It's my body, isn't it?"She grinned and embraced him again. Suddenly a bubble of laughter escaped her lips. "I have no idea why I'm enjoying this. I really wish..."She stopped herself, but Yuka knew what she was going to say. She wasn't going to say that she wished that he wasn't Caden's brother. Neither was she going to say that she
"Your highness? Can I come in?" Hazel sighed and stroked Yuka's fur one more time. She watched him as he jumped down from her bed and was soon staring at her from the window."Come in" she said, still staring at Yuka's cat form."I'll see you later" she whispered and he jumped out of the window right before the door was opened.Violet stepped in. She was dressed in a white blouse and white pants, her blue hair in a ponytail. Hazel's eyes widened when she saw her. "It's good to see you, Violet" she said and Violet grinned. "How is the royal life treating you?" Violet asked, smiling at her."Adapting to it isn't as easy as I thought" Violet squeezed her hand gently and set to work. A bluish glow appeared on the tips of her fingers and spread further to her upper arms. She gently touched Hazel's black eye and healed her. By the time she was done with healing the future queen, Caden walked
"Are you threatening me right now, your highness? No, wait. You are threatening me. Wait until Caden hears about it" The queen was getting more riled up by the second. She couldn't understand why Hazel was so immune to her. She hated it. Evey other person in the palace was completely under her control. Everyone but Yuka and Hazel. She was frustrated. Since she couldn't get either of them to fear her, she was pissed. "I have a hunch that you stole the Sceptre. But since I have no proof, I'm going to let that slide.... for now.You want to act all tough and fearless. That's fine by me. Maybe, just maybe, you're going to end up six feet below the ground sooner than I thought" the queen said and walked away. Hazel glared at the Queen's retreating figure even though, deep down she was worried. Prince Caden was boiling with anger by the time he arrived right in front of the door of Yuka's chamber. He
"Yuka. Hey, can you hear me?" The second prince groaned as he slowly came to, Hazel's voice sounding like it was coming from far away. "Can you hear me?" Hazel asked one more time as she gazed at him. He squinted at her when she finally came into focus. "How are you feeling?" She asked and his eyes widened when he realized that she was in his chambers again. "No, no, no. Hazel, you shouldn't be here. The queen-" he began but was silenced by the finger she placed across his lips. "Forget about the queen. You lied to me" she said, her brows furrowed. He sighed and lowered his gaze. "You told me that the effects of the poison was only going to last for a night" she said. "Hazel-""Don't 'Hazel' me. What the queen has been doing to you is just not right. How can you even stand it?""I'm sorry, I just didn't want you to blame yourself for my punishment" "How are you feeling?" She asked and he gave her a h
Jotham, Silveran Capital2030 To say that Hazel was tensed would be an understatement. She couldn't stop pacing back and forth in her room. She needed to act quickly, but a couple of guards were outside her room. She wouldn't be able to sneak out of her room without being noticed. Hazel had a hunch that among the men standing in front of the door, one of them was a spy that the queen had put in place to monitor her. Negative thoughts invaded her mind.What if she eventually told Yuka to help her and he refuses? What if he agrees to help her, but ends up being too late. She swallowed hard and shook her head, trying to ward off these ugly thoughts. Just before dinner, Hazel decided to sneak out of her room through the window. It was a strenuous task, but she did it anyway. She managed to sneak into the East wing of